(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Top Comments: Another job AI should NOT be doing [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-05-31 The current hullabaloo over chatbots and “artificial intelligence” continues to mistake algorithms for actual sentience, rather than word-prediction programs. Maybe it’s just because we all grew up with HAL, Data, and the Cylons, but the fantasy view of AI as actual intelligence can have disastrous consequences. But first, a word from our sponsor! Here at Top Comments we welcome longtime as well as brand new Daily Kos readers to join us at 10pm Eastern. We strive to nourish community by rounding up some of the site's best, funniest, most mojo'd & most informative commentary, and we depend on your help!! If you see a comment by another Kossack that deserves wider recognition, please send it either to topcomments at gmail or to the Top Comments group mailbox by 9:30pm Eastern. Pleaseplease please include a few words about why you sent it in as well as your user name (even if you think we know it already :-)), so we can credit you with the find! Staff at the National Eating Disorders Association recently voted to unionize. Just two weeks later, NEDA management announced they were getting rid of their helpline staff and volunteers, and replacing them with “Tessa,” a chatbot, as of June 1st. The helpline had been in place for 20 years. You know where this is going, right? Activist Sharon Maxwell posted on social media about harmful responses she’d gotten from the chatbot. The chatbot gave advice encouraging intentional weight loss, the exact opposite of what someone with (for instance) anorexia or bulimia needs to hear. NEDA initially accused Maxwell of lying, then announced they were disabling the chatbot while further investigating the situation. Factual information around nutrition is easy enough to find online. When someone calls a helpline, they’re looking for empathy, understanding, and good judgement — three things that they’re unlikely to find in an algorithm. Or in an an organization that illegally retaliated against their workers, and in the process abandoned the people they’re supposed to be helping. Can we replace the bosses with a chatbot instead? On to Top Comments! No submissions tonight. Folks, remember to send those awesome comments in! Top mojo, courtesy of mik: Picture quilt, created by jotter, brought back by elfling & the help desk crew: [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/5/31/2172554/-Top-Comments-Another-job-AI-should-NOT-be-doing Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/